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Asheville High students moved out of some classrooms because of mold


Asheville City Schools officials confirmed Thursday that multiple classrooms at Asheville High School were found with mold. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
Asheville City Schools officials confirmed Thursday that multiple classrooms at Asheville High School were found with mold. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
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Asheville City Schools officials confirmed Thursday that multiple classrooms at Asheville High School were found with mold.

A school system spokesperson said the affected classrooms were in the CTE building.

The classrooms have been shut down and cleaned.

Affected students told News 13 this is an ongoing issue.

“I think the entire downstairs area was utterly overtaken by mold,” said Zane.

Students said that they have had to move classrooms this last week because of mold.

“It was not a good experience. We were unaware of it, and we’ve been displaced from our classrooms,” said Zane.

The school system said the students and staff won’t be allowed back into the classrooms until all of the returns, diffusers and equipment have been cleared and scrubbers have purified the air.

Another student told News 13 he went through the same thing last year.

“We just had to, like, move classrooms a lot because there was more than some of them,” said the student.

News 13 asked a local mold expert why this may be the case.

Rick Bayless, a consultant for A Healthier Home, said Western North Carolina’s climate could be to blame.

“Mold isn’t the problem itself. Mold is a symptom of a building that has problems with wetness dampness and humidity,” said Bayless.

Bayless said the problem with mold is it could be bigger than it appears.

“Always, always, always the way it goes there’s always more somewhere else that wasn’t on the radar screen yet,” said Bayless.

According to the CDC, exposure to mold can lead to symptoms ranging from a stuffy nose, wheezing, red or itchy eyes and skin to more severe reactions like fever and shortness of breath.

The school system wouldn’t tell News 13 how many classrooms had been affected.

Officials said the maintenance department routinely works to prevent mold and promptly responds to all reported cases.

The school system said it’s installing humidistats in all classrooms in the CTE building, where the mold was found.

The humidistats will monitor the humidity.

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